Hello

22 February 2019

Here's how it works: The Recent Releases chart brings together critical reaction to new albums from more than 50 sources worldwide. It's updated daily. Albums qualify with 5 reviews, and drop out after 6 weeks into the longer timespan charts.

Readers' albums of the year

The votes are in, the counting's done. Here's YOUR views on the best music released in 2014

505 The War On
Drugs
Lost In The Dream

427 St Vincent St
Vincent

349 Run The
Jewels Run The Jewels 2

325
Swans
To Be Kind

279 Alvvays
Alvvays

258 Sun Kil
Moon Benji

251 Real
Estate Atlas

248 Sharon Van Etten Are We
There

242
FKA
Twigs
LP1

231 Caribou Our Love

212 Wild
Beasts
Present Tense

204 The
Antlers
Familiars

196 Perfume
Genius
Too Bright

188 Young
Fathers
Dead

185 Future
Islands
Singles

182
The Twilight
Sad
Nobody Wants To Be Here...

170 Damon Albarn Everyday Robots

162
East India
Youth
Total Strife Forever

158 Flying
Lotus You're Dead!

152 Todd Terje It's Album Time

148 Cloud
Nothings Here And Nowhere Else

137 Temples
Sun Structures

131 The New
Pornographers Brill Bruisers

127
Beck Morning
Phase

122 How To Dress Well What Is This Heart?

120 Manic Street Preachers Futurology

112 Wye Oak Shriek

110 Julian Casablancas + The
Voidz
Tyranny

104 Damien Rice My Favourite
Faded Fantasy

101 Ex
Hex Ripe

97 La
Roux
Trouble In Paradise

95 Mark Lanegan
Band Phantom Radio

84 Interpol El Pintor

82 Ben Frost A U R O R A

80 EMA Future's Void

72 Drive-By
Truckers English Oceans

69 Iceage
Plowing Into The Field Of Love

65 Jack
White
Lazaretto

62 Jamie T
Carry On The Grudge

56 Kiasmos
Kiasmo

52 Lana Del Rey
Ultraviolence

50 Lykke
Li
I Never Learn

48
Mac DeMarco Salad Days

46
Plastikman EX

44 Steve Gunn Way Out
Weather

42 The
Hotelier Home, Like No Place Is
There

40
Tune-Yards
Nikki Nack

38 Prince Art Official Age

35 Angel
Olsen Burn Your Fire
For No Witness

32 Hurray For The Riff
Raff Small Town
Heroes

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You don't have to search too hard to see the major variance
between critics and the rest of the music-loving world in their
take on the best albums released in 2014: it's right there at the
top.

While the critics regarded the debut from FKA
Twigs as a major game-changer and worthy of a significant
margin of victory over its nearest challenger, as far as our
readers were concerned it merited no more than just sneaking into
the top 10.

We can only speculate on the reasons for such a striking
discrepancy; maybe critics place more value on an album which they
regard as heralding in something new in pop whereas mere listeners
just go with what has given them the most pleasure irrespective of
its perceived importance.

You could potentially make a similar argument around another
notable differential between the two lists: Flying
Lotus' You're Dead made the critics' top 10 but floundered
at No.19 in the readers' poll. Is this because FlyLo earns
greater kudos in the eyes of reviewers given his genre-defying,
boundary-pushing experiments?

Otherwise there is a fair degree of similarity between the two
lists, particularly at the top end - with a few exceptions. The
debut from Toronto jangle merchants Alvvays
reached a relatively modest No. 29 in the critics' rankings but
sits proudly at a lofty No.6 in the readers' poll

And what of The Antlers? Their 5th album was
made No.12 by our users, but didn't even feature among the critics'
top 50 while The Twilight Sad's 4th release also
failed to make an impact on our Poll of Polls but is No.16 on this
list.